Dec. 28, 2011
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| MEDIA INFORMATION |
| Date |
Dec. 29, 2011 |
| Location |
Greenville, N.C. |
| Tickets |
Online Ticket Center |
| TV |
None |
| Live Video |
Watch Online |
| Radio |
Pirate IMG Sports Network |
| Live Stats |
Gametracker |
| Game Notes |
East Carolina |
| Twitter |
@ECUPirateHoops |
| EAST CAROLINA PIRATES |
| Record |
7-4 |
| Last Game |
Defeated Gardner-Webb, 69-55 |
| Head Coach |
Jeff Lebo (North Carolina, 1989) |
|
Career: 236-176 (13th season) |
|
ECU Record: 25-20 (2nd season) |
| N.C. CENTRAL EAGLES |
| Record |
7-6 |
| Last Game |
Defeated Prairie View A&M, 69-58 |
| Head Coach |
Levelle Moton (N.C. Central, 1996) |
|
Career: 29-43 (2nd year) |
|
NCCU Record: Same |
|
|
THE LATEST NEWS & NOTES
• After enduring a three-game losing streak, East Carolina has won each of its last three games to improve to 7-4 this season. North Carolina Central is also riding a two-game winning streak with wins over Stephen F. Austin and Prairie View A&M.
•The Pirates are 5-2 at home this season, while the Eagles are searching for their first road win of the year (0-6).
•East Carolina and N.C. Central are meeting for the fourth consecutive season and for the fourth time in Greenville since the series began in 2006. The Pirates won the their previous three home games against the Eagles by an average of 16 points.
•The Pirates and Eagle each ranks among the top 10 in the nations in steals per game. ECU is third, averaging 10.55 spg and NCCU is 10th with 9.69 steals per game.
•ECU senior Darrius Morrow and NCCU junior Ray Willis played on the same AAU team in Atlanta.
•A total of three transfers from the Big 12 Conference are on the rosters: ECU junior Miguel Paul (Missouri), NCCU senior Dominique Sutton (Kansas State) and junior Ray Willis (Oklahoma).
•The Pirates have shot over 40 percent from the field in three consecutive games after shooting under 36 percent in their previous three contests. ECU has made 70-of-158 field goal attempts the last three games (.443).
•East Carolina has not allowed over 30 points in five of its last six halves of basketball. The Pirates haven't yielded over 30 points in either half of a game four times this season.
•The Pirates rank among the top three in Conference USA in several defensive categories, including scoring defense (3rd), field goal percent defense (3rd), 3-point field goal defense (1st) and steals (1st).
•The Pirates have forced more turnovers than their opponents were averaging in four straight games.
•At least one Pirate has grabbed double digit rebounds in six of the last seven games. Maurice Kemp is the only one to have done it twice during that stretch.
•Either Shamarr Bowden, Darrius Morrow or Miguel Paul has led the Pirates in scoring in each game this season.
•Miguel Paul, Shamarr Bowden, Erin Straughn, Maurice Kemp and Darrius Morrow have comprised the starting lineup each of the last three games.
WHO TO WATCH
• Senior Darrius Morrow is two points shy of surpassing former teammate Brock Young for sixth-place on the school's all-time scoring list. Morrow has scored 1,231 points in 103 games. Morrow has scored double figures in four straight games and in nine of the last 10. He is 37 rebounds shy of becoming the 10th player in school history with 700 rebounds.
•Junior Maurice Kemp has scored double figures in each of the last four games. He dropped in a season-high 18 points against Gardner-Webb, while grabbing 13 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. He is averaging 14 points and seven rebounds over the last four games.
•Since being held scoreless against Chowan, junior Shamarr Bowden has scored double figures in five of the last six games, averaging 12.5 points and shooting 47.5 percent (19-40) from behind the arc.
•Junior Miguel Paul leads Conference USA in assists per game (5.7), steals per game (2.2) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.3). He also ranks sixth in 3-point field goals per game (2.2), seventh in 3-point field goal percentage (.375) and scoring (15.5 ppg).
SERIES HISTORY
•East Carolina leads the all-time series, 4-0. The Pirates posted a 58-50 victory over the Eagles in Durham last season.
UP NEXT
•East Carolina will return to the court to take on Virginia-Wise inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum on Saturday, Dec. 31 at 1 p.m.
